Improvement in governors for steam-engines



PETERS. PHOTO-LITMOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON,

PATENT OFFICE. l i

CHARLES VATERS, -OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN GOVERNORS FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l 10,703, dated January3, l1&571.

To all whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, CHARLES WATEEs, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented Improvements in GoverningMechanism for Steam-Engines; and I do hereby declare thatthe following,taken in connection'withxthe drawings which accompany and form part ofthis specification, is a description of my invention sufficient toenable those skilled in the art to practice it.

This invention has two parts-one relating to an improvement in thecentrifugal regulator, and the other relating to improvements by whichthe valve Worked by the regulator may be set or adjusted to conform togreat changes in the amount of work to be done or in the pressure of thesteam` or other motive fluid;

`In the ordinary pendulum-regulator two pivoted arms are commonly used,upon which are suspended weights inthe form of balls, which causeconsiderable -friction upon the pivots and joints of said arms, whichfriction renders the regulator less sensible to slight changes of speedof the engine than is desirable. In other words, it requires quite aperceptible change in the speed of the engine to overcome. the frictionon the pivots and joints of the weighted'arms before the .change in thecentrifugal force of the weights causes them to change their position orplane of rotation; and

-one part of my invention consists in so connecting .the weights to thearms that they are no longer supported by the pivots of the arms, butare sustained and rotated by othermeans, though connected with thependulum-arms and moving them as the weights change their position.

Another part of my invention consists in provision for altering therelation of the governing-valve with reference to the steam passage orpassages which it controls, so that the normal area of the steam-passagepast the valve may be enlarged or diminished. For example, if the amountof work to be performed by the engine is very large, it is desirable tohave the area of the steam-passage controlled by the valve larger thanis required for a smaller amount of work, and it is desirable to changesuch area by mere adjustment instead of by actual change in theconstruction of the parts.

The drawings show, in Figure-1, a sectional elevation of my improvedgoverning mechanregulator moves a valve vertically, there being betweenthe sleeve and the case apassage,

e, which admits steam above the valve, and thus prevents it from havingan unbalanced condition. The top of the case a is closed by a casting,f, which serves to sustain the regulator, the upper part of said castingbeing made as a stud, on which theregulator-sleeve g fits and turns,said casting being centrally vbored for the valve-stem h, which ispacked where it passes to the case a. Th e valve shown is made in twoparts, secured on stem h. The

part i is that which operates to control the flow of steam from nozzle bto nozzle c, and is ahollow cylinder closed at its upper end andopen atits lower end, and having opposite portions of its periphery removed toform ports through which the stem may pass. The other part, j, issimilar to the part t', and both might be formed as one casting. y

. In the drawings the regulator isrepresented as at rest, andconsequently the regulatorvalve is wide open. The pulley k, which givesrotation to the regulator, is secured to the sleeve g, which carries atits upper end two brackets, Z, to which are pivoted the arms m, whichare bent levers, the short arms of which are connected through piece ato the valve-rod h, and the long arms to the weights or balls o by meansof links p. The piece a is compound in its structure, the center part,with which the pendulum-arms m are geared, being loose and free torevolve about the other part, which is secured to the valve-stcm by thesetscrew t. The balls, instead of being hung upon arms m, as is usual,so as to bring their weight upon pivots q, are 'supported upon the freeends of springs r, the other ends of said springs being fixed to therotating sleeve g. Though I prefer lthe springs for the purpose ofsupporting the balls, a system of jointed arms` might be employed inplace of the springs. The sleeveg is prevented from rising while leftfree to rotate by means of the screw s, so

that it will now be seen that if sleeve q is caused to rotate the ballswill move outward,

`whicl1, by the connections described, will lower the valve and willcheck the flow of steam, and also that, if the rotation of the ballsslackens, they will move inward, which will open the valve more or lessin proportion to such movements of the balls.

I provide either or both of two means for changing the area of thesteam-passage past the valve. In the non-rotating part of piece u, Ilocate a set-screw, t, by means of which I can raise or lower the valve,and thus change the area of the passages through which the steam passes;but as it is desirable to be able to change said area with facilitywhile the parts are in motion, I provide a means -for changing theangular position of the valve, so as to vary the width of thesteam-passages,

' which means are as follows:

A quadrant-piece, u, is centered upon the valve-stem h, and connected bya long pin, o, with the casting f, so that while the quadrant can riseand fall with the valve-stem it can position by connecting the arm w tothe quadrant a by means of the clamp-screw a2.

Vhile in the drawing the axis of rotation oi' the governing-weights isshown as vertical, it may be arranged horizontally, and if the weightsare mounted on and are rotated by jointed arms taking the place of thespring fr, then the preferable arrangement of the axis of rotation ishorizontal. i

Vith the jointed arms, which may be made to take the place of thesprings o', there must be some ar angement of a spring or springs to actagainst centrifugal force to retract `the weights toward the axis ofrotation whenever the rotations of the governor lessen.

I claim- 1. A regulator or governor, substantially such as described, inwhich the weights or` balls are supported independently of thependulumarms which operate the val ve, when said balls are connected tosaid arms so asto control th eir p ositi on without loading the armswith the weight of the balls.

2. In combination with a regulator, a valve arranged to be adjusted inthe direction of its axis of rotation, when arranged, also, so that itmay be adj usted angularly upon or with reference to such axis, l Y

CHARLES VATERS. lVvi tn esses:

J. B. Cnosnv,

C. XVAR'REN BROWN.

